The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon Council passed the second and third readings of a bylaw to ensure the condition of buildings and properties in the community are being kept up. Bylaw 2013-13 will 'regulate the condition of vacant and derelict buildings as to discourage the boarding of vacant buildings,' Councillor Ken Pawlachuk read, Tuesday night. '...if an owner can prove a building has been occupied for two months or more in the eight months preceeding, the building shall not be considered vacant for the sake of this bylaw,' Pawlachuk read as one of the many amendments to Bylaw 2013-13. 'There's a number of substandard buildings in Flin Flon in ways that are derelict. They contribute to the deterioration of a neighbourhood,' said City Administrator Mark Kolt, to explain the reasoning behind the bylaw. The City will have to pass through multiple steps before being able to take over the title of a property. '...for us to consider it vacant it had to be vacant for a particular amount of time,' Kolt said. 'Just one person spending one night in it won't be enough. 'We're looking at at least two months of continuous habitation from when it was last occupied.' See 'Vacant' on pg. Continued from pg. Buildings or properties in question are those that are 'vacant or have serious bylaw violations,' said Kolt. He assures that properties well taken care of are not at risk. 'If the property is occupied and in good shape it's not something that should strike fear into the hearts of everyone,' he reassured. Bylaw 2013-13 applies to not only houses, but commercial buildings and properties as well. If a property or building is deemed as vacant or derelict the City of Flin Flon must follow steps before demolition can occur. 'It's not so much immediate,' said Kolt. He says there are a number of circumstances to take into consideration such as if the property is in immediate structure danger. 'We do have the power to give the order of demolition,' he says. Kolt explains that notices are given in three stages before the title can be applied for by the City of Flin Flon. 'There's multiple opportunities for property owners to do the right thing and clean it up,' he said. Kolt says this step is 'potentially very significant for the City. '...the City has never had the right to take away a property because of a noncompliance with vacancy rules or with a combination of other safety and maintenance regulations before.' Kolt says the new bylaw potentially can have a 'serious impact on some properties.' 'But again, the expectation is that in most cases people will do what it takes to get better compliance with the bylaws rather than lose the property.' Highlights Council also heard from Councillor Tim Babcock as he informed that the Flin Flon Trout Festival will hold their AGM on October 9 this year in the Council Chambers. Councillor Karen MacKinnon also passed on a message from a recent visitor who was impressed with the upkeep of the local cemeteries.
